REVIEW – EUROCUCINA & MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
Maximum added value

The kitchen as a self-confident statement: for a long time, this was taken for granted. Then came the crisis. And now, as was clearly evident at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the entire industry is emerging from it. "More is more" seemed to be the unspoken motto of this year's kitchen and furniture fair. This was especially true for the Italian companies, who made themselves heard in their own city with stage-ready arrangements. Opulent kitchen islands, undulating curves and grooves, centimetre-thick stones and an almost unrhythmic mix of colors and styles of gold, peach, glass, leather, fabric and steel create kitchen spaces of superlatives, in short: maximalism is back. German kitchen and appliance manufacturers are naturally more minimalist, and yet the urge for presence is clearly noticeable. Huge stainless steel modules, dark-stained wood veneer and translucent stones with LED light inserts attract everyone's attention at the Poggenpohl, Leicht and Eggersmann exhibitions.

bulthaup is even turning away from its minimalist asceticism, for which the luxury kitchen manufacturer still receives a lot of praise globally: "Reduced to the essentials" are the new kitchen modules with which the manufacturer from Aich is completing a 180-degree turnaround in its appearance, albeit in its own way. However, the stainless steel cooking workbench, or "KWB" for short, looks more like an experimental deconstruction of the upmarket kitchen in order to escape any claim to aesthetics and focus on maximum functionality. What will define bulthaup in the future is a certain "boldness", a very contemporary raison d'être for solid materials made of solid wood and steel – and a distinct workshop character. This includes wide bar handles, metal grids with poker hooks for hanging cooking utensils and sturdy plinth feet that unashamedly support the strong structures. The sculptural solid oak wall cabinet alone, which embodies the bulthaup principle of "hiding and exposing space" with visible galvanization and a concealed apothecary cabinet, weighs around 630 kilograms. bulthaup has set up its own steel and aluminum production facility for the hinges, the brass rear panel and the new wall system with "butterfly" technology, on which the cabinet modules can be mounted with maximum flexibility in terms of width and height. The luxury manufacturer now even produces induction and gas hobs itself, as well as stainless steel worktops and taps. The brand has copper-colored pots and pans produced by the French manufacturer Mauviel - for now. In the long term, the company wants to do everything itself. "We want to maximize added value," says CEO Marc O. Eckert. "We are taking things into our own hands."

The new kitchen modules also follow a slightly modified design principle: instead of "form follows function", it should be "form follows being", according to bulthaup circles. People are at the center of all designs. "bulthaup is not a kitchen. bulthaup is an attitude for life." This means that the nomenclature of b1, b2 and b3 will no longer be used in future, explains Marc O. Eckert. Instead, the company offers a drawer from which planners and customers can help themselves, like a Lego system. "bulthaup kitchen furniture always follows the same radii: the golden ratio. From this, everyone can put together their own world in which they define what a kitchen is for themselves."

Similar to bulthaup, albeit less radically, other kitchen manufacturers are also moving away from untouchable perfection in the kitchen space: stainless steel and aluminum profiles, which are guaranteed not to be scratch-resistant, are taking the place of filigree joint patterns and soft matt lacquer haptics with anti-fingerprint protection. Mirror fronts, which have long been part of the Nolte Neo range, are also being introduced by Abimis, Boffi and Aster Cucine or the German premium offshoot next125 from Schüller. Fingerprints, signs of use, darkened wood or a calloused patina on copper and brass surfaces? That's just the way it is. After all, the kitchen is a living space. It seems like a liberation from the thoroughly optimized perfection that has elevated the kitchen to a status symbol in recent years. Luxury, yes – but one that is allowed to get dirty.

Of course, the space for cooking and eating is still staged; this is demonstrated by sculptural cooking blocks in a polygonal shape that attract everyone's attention. Not only Eggersmann, represented at EuroCucina for the first time, is presenting such a gem in collaboration with the Yabu Pushelberg design studio. Häcker Küchen has also dared to create this individual kitchen island, which offers less storage space than extravagance. In cooperation with the natural stone specialist Schwanenkamp, the company also wants to concentrate luxury in a small space. Remarkable: in these difficult times, many manufacturers are reaching upwards to pick the remaining apples on the tree. They offer exclusive and hand-finished materials; more colors, more woods, more opportunities for self-expression. Materiality, authenticity and a certain eccentricity count. Only a few bend over backwards to do justice to the sales figures. The Italian companies certainly don't. They dress up their kitchens as a museum-like experience, for which even the high-gloss lacquer returns – as seen at Veneta Cucine, Scavolini and Boffi. In general, the Italian designs are very similar: All of them juggle with reddish tones, among which the color of the year 2019 - "Living Coral" – and the current color trend 2024 – "Peach Fuzz", a soft peach nuance – can be found particularly often. Bordeaux also shimmers through here and there; more often, however, the colorful iced tea dream is combined with a minty green that doesn't quite fit in with the exclusive material world of lacquer, stone and metal.

Leading manufacturers such as Minotti, Aster Cucine, Arclinea and Schiffini are matching each other in the functional design of their kitchens: Many place stackable multifunctional tops made of glass, lacquer and cast iron in the middle of their kitchen island landscape, in which kitchen utensils or herb pots can be arranged. The side panel is discovered as a useful storage space, which means that although there are no drawers at the front, the kitchen can be used from all sides. Outdoor is also finally celebrated as an experience: The theme moves from the desolate outer circle into the heart of the action on the exhibition grounds – where it integrates extremely well visually with voluminous stainless steel blocks. Kitchenettes and BBQ appliances are increasingly being extended by voluminous dining tables and bar attachments, for example at Fogher, Officini Fanesi and Sachi. Nevertheless, modular stand-alones still have their place, including "Phil" by Ethimo as a congenial outdoor barrel with a rinsing and grilling function. With Scavolini and Poliform, two Italian heavyweights are also venturing into their own outdoor models for the first time, whose modules can be fitted with both aluminum and wooden fronts in teak veneer and refined with corresponding surface finishes such as titanium. Luxury is the key – even in your own garden.

The self-confident "haute cuisine" in the technical sense is also driven by appliance manufacturers with an extraordinary passion for innovation. Gaggenau, manufacturer of luxury kitchen appliances, literally offers its products "a stage". While the invisible hob of the "Essential Induction", already familiar from Löhne, is gracefully presented in the middle of the garden pavilion of Villa Necchi, two important supporting players are waiting to be used in the backstage area. The new range of refrigerators in dark brushed stainless steel impresses with a double French door and an intelligent "Ambient Light" system that discreetly illuminates the drawer that is currently in use. With a usable capacity of 575 liters, an integrated ice maker in the freezer compartment, three fresh food drawers close to zero degrees Celsius and discreetly integrated cameras, the appliance is not only a high-end appliance in terms of size, but also in terms of value. Refrigeration becomes an experience. The new 400 oven series is no less prestigious, with a 1.5 Millimetre stainless steel passe-partout and chamfered edge that gives the 76 Centimetre wide appliance a visual picture frame. So far, the oven is a "prototype" that symbolizes the pinnacle of the new brand aesthetics and is set to become the "Next Icon of Gaggenau". Unfortunately, photography was expressly forbidden during the presentation – after all, Gaggenau has also mastered the game of "hiding and exposing" perfectly.

The Swiss premium brand V-Zug presented itself in a doubly visually stunning way with its own showroom and an extraordinary art installation entitled "Time and Matter". The seemingly epochal dramaturgy of stone, technology and a videographic waterfall in the middle of the Pinacoteca di Brera was conceived and developed by Elisa Ossino in collaboration with the artist and craftsman HENRYTIMI. At the center of the exhibition, a monumental cooking block with a visible broken edge and movable stone top attracted everyone's attention. The filigree kitchen technology of the "Excellence Line" and the massive surrounding spectacle conveyed an almost tangible statement of materiality and sophistication. V-Zug states that "the duality between humanistic design and archaic materials" should be taken into account. The Italian fittings manufacturer Gessi is also explicitly calling to mind. The premium manufacturer presented a sample of its new luxury product for the first time in the city's own showroom – literally: in future, the "Vita Gessi Caffé" tap will not only dispense water, but also brew fresh espresso using a simple coffee module. The corresponding capsule, for example from Nespresso, is inserted into a side arm of the tap. The boiling water function is included in the product anyway. A simple step with a big surprise factor, but not yet in series production: Like so many other kitchen and appliance models at this year's EuroCucina, the "Vita Gessi Caffé" is so far a prototype that is being tested in public. The product's readiness for the stage was loudly attested. After all, more is more.